The Downsides Of The FCC Privacy Proposal; Upfront Deals Are Slower Than Expected

The FCC’s broadband privacy proposal could stunt innovation online by making it harder for new players to enter the market and compete with giants such as Google, writes Roslyn Layton in an opinion piece for Forbes. More than 30% of all digital ad revenue is expected to go to Google this year, and tons of online ads are tracked using Google analytics. “It is almost impossible to use the internet without touching a destination that doesn’t implement some form of Google tracking,” she writes. She also blames Google for enabling a digital ecosystem where users pay transmission fees related to ads rather than advertisers. Read it.

Upfront … Or Later

Upfront deals are closing slower than expected this year, and digital may be the culprit. As advertisers try to strike a balance between traditional and emerging media, TV networks are working harder than ever to collect their dollars. Networks that have been calling for CPMs in the double-digit range may be disappointed. “There is simply not enough demand to drive the types of increases previously envisioned by the networks,” a media buyer said. That’s not to say TV spend is slowing – projected revenues are still in the $8 billion range. More at Variety.

Removing The ‘Cast

Dynamic advertising is jumpstarting podcast revenue, according to multiple recent industry reports, but there are immense hurdles ahead. Apple, the unrivaled platform leader in the space, is largely indifferent to podcasts, which have driven little revenue for the company. The same is true for Google, and as a result podcast data across the board lacks depth and richness (you can track downloads, for instance, but not actual listening or tune-out details). Unlike movies, music or apps, the tech giants don’t take a cut of podcast revenue, so they aren’t motivated to develop monetization. (Apple doesn’t allow podcast producers to have paid subscribers or charge per episode.)

The Medium Is The Message

Facebook will shut down its standalone Notify app, which alerts users to news from publishers, according to the Verge. Consumers weren’t thrilled about downloading an app that just serves push notifications, so it will be ingested into products like Messenger, which takes a similar approach but with chat bots. "With more than 900 million people using Messenger each month, we think there is a great opportunity for publishers to reach even more people interested in real-time updates from their favorite sources," a spokesperson said. Publishers like CNN, Bloomberg and Vox Media use the platform. More.